LEDs
Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are small, powerful lights that are used in many different applications. Blinking an LED is the classic starting point for learning how to program embedded electronics. It's the "Hello, World!" of microcontrollers. We recommend looking at the LED tutorial and SIK experiment guide to get started.
SparkFun Arduino UNO R4 WiFi Qwiic Kit Hookup Guide
July 11, 2023
The SparkFun Arduino UNO R4 WiFi Qwiic Kit is a great way to get started with Arduino and the Qwiic-connect system - use this guide to get started!
Qwiic Digital Desk Sign with MicroMod
June 30, 2022
Make a Qwiic-enabled digital desk sign with a MicroMod SAMD51 Processor Board's USB Host and a USB keyboard!
Getting Started with the MyoWare® 2.0 Muscle Sensor Ecosystem
April 1, 2022
The MyoWare® 2.0 Muscle Sensor, an Arduino-compatible, all-in-one electromyography (EMG) sensor from Advancer Technologies. In this tutorial, we will go over the features and related shields to connect the sensor to a muscle group.
SparkFun Qwiic Alphanumeric Display Hookup Guide
October 21, 2021
A Hookup Guide to get you started with the Qwiic Alphanumeric Display.
Tinker Kit Circuit Guide
September 16, 2021
This guide takes you through the basics of building 11 different circuits with the SparkFun Tinker Kit and how to program them using the Arduino IDE.
QuickLogic Thing Plus (EOS S3) Hookup Guide
July 22, 2021
This guide provides users with functional descriptions, configuration options for the QuickLogic Thing Plus EOS S3. It also serves as a “Getting Started” and “How To” guide.
Qwiic LED Stick - APA102C Hookup Guide
July 15, 2021
Add some I2C RGB to your project with the SparkFun Qwiic LED Stick - APA102C
SparkFun RTK Express Hookup Guide
June 21, 2021
Learn how to use the enclosed RTK Express product to achieve millimeter level geospatial coordinates.
micro:bit Breakout Board Hookup Guide
June 17, 2021
How to get started with the micro:bit breakout board.
Qwiic SHIM Kit for Raspberry Pi Hookup Guide
February 16, 2021
Get started with the Serial LCD with RGB backlight and 9DoF IMU (ICM-20948) via I2C using the Qwiic system and Python on a Raspberry Pi! Take sensor readings and display them in the serial terminal or SerLCD.
RP2040 Thing Plus Hookup Guide
January 21, 2021
Want to take a stab at advancing your programming skills? Check out the Thing Plus - RP2040, with the first microcontroller from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. This guide will get you started working with the RP2040 and programming in MicroPython and C/C++.
SparkFun RTK Surveyor Hookup Guide
December 3, 2020
Learn how to use the enclosed RTK Surveyor product to achieve millimeter level geospatial coordinates.
SparkFun MicroMod Input and Display Carrier Board Hookup Guide
October 21, 2020
A short Hookup Guide to get started with the SparkFun MicroMod Input and Display Carrier Board
Nintendo Switch Macro Recording on the Raspberry Pi
July 8, 2020
Learn how to record and playback controller 'macros' for your Nintendo Switch using a Raspberry Pi, SparkFun Top pHAT, and Joycontrol.
SparkFun Photodetector (MAX30101) Hookup Guide
June 25, 2020
The SparkFun Photodetector - MAX30101 (Qwiic) is the successor to the MAX30105 particle sensor, a highly sensitive optical sensor. This tutorial will get you started on retrieving the raw data from the MAX30101 sensor.
SparkFun Top pHAT Hookup Guide
April 16, 2020
The pHAT to sit above your other HATs. Does that make it the "king" of the pHATs?
This guide will help you get started using the Top pHAT with the Raspberry Pi.
Non-Addressable RGB LED Strip Hookup Guide
February 19, 2020
Add color to your projects with non-addressable LED strips! These are perfect if you want to control and power the entire strip with one color for your props, car, fish tank, room, wall, or perhaps under cabinet lighting in your home.
Basic LED Animations for Beginners (Arduino)
December 3, 2019
Let's have some fun with LEDs! We'll explore LEDs once again with the SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic, making cool effects, and putting those effects to work using a sensor.
SparkFun Qwiic Micro (SAMD21E) Hookup Guide
October 24, 2019
An introduction to the Qwiic Micro SAMD21E. Level up your Arduino-skills with the powerful SAMD21 ARM Cortex M0+ processor!
APA102 Addressable LED Hookup Guide
October 8, 2019
Connect, power, and control your APA102 addressable LED strip!
SparkFun Inventor's Kit Experiment Guide - v4.1
August 8, 2019
The SparkFun Inventor's Kit (SIK) Experiment Guide contains all of the information needed to build all five projects, encompassing 16 circuits, in the latest version of the kit, v4.1.2 and v4.1.
LilyPad RGB LED Hookup Guide
July 18, 2019
Learn how to hook up the LilyPad RGB LED and use a common cathode RGB LED in e-textile projects.
SparkFun gator:particle Hookup Guide
June 13, 2019
The gator:particle is an I2C heart-rate monitor and pulse oximeter that can be used as a particle sensor. This tutorial will get you started using the gator:particle with the micro:bit platform.
Basic Character LCD Hookup Guide
May 28, 2019
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are a great way to output a string of words or sensor data to a display for visual feedback. In this tutorial, we'll learn about LCDs, how to print a string of words to a 16x2 basic character LCD and create custom characters.
Old Tutorials
Looking for the old, archived tutorials? Head on over to the
archived tutorials on the main
SparkFun site.
Please be aware that the tutorials you find there are no longer
actively maintained.